nomad

noun no·mad \ ˈnō-ˌmad , British also ˈnä- \

Updated on: 19 May 2018

Definition of nomad

1 : a member of a people who have no fixed residence but move from place to place usually seasonally and within a well-defined territory

For centuries nomads have shepherded goats, sheep, and cattle across the … semiarid grasslands …
—Discovery

2 : an individual who roams about

He lived like a nomad for a few years after college, never holding a job in one place for very long.

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nomad

adjective

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nomadism

play \ˈnō-ˌma-ˌdi-zəm\ noun

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Examples of nomad in a Sentence

He lived like a nomad for a few years after college, never holding a job in one place for very long.
after college she became quite the nomad, backpacking through Europe with no particular destination

Recent Examples of nomad from the Web

Terrified, the nomads believed Allah was punishing them for not strictly adhering to religious rules.

— shannon hall, Discover Magazine, "Africa's Big Break," 11 May 2018
Lezsák is an outspoken nationalist who has supported ideas on the roots of Hungarians opposed by most historians, including the theory that they are related to the Huns, Asiatic nomads who were a feared enemy of the Roman Empire.

— kata karáth, Science | AAAS, "Hungarian scientists are on edge as country is poised to force out top university," 10 May 2018
According to authorities, Sanji Ram, a retired bureaucrat, hatched a conspiracy to kill the girl in an effort to drive the nomads from the area.

— shashank bengali, latimes.com, "Why India's rape crisis is getting worse under Narendra Modi," 21 Apr. 2018
Asifa was a Muslim nomad, part of the Bakarwal tribe.

— marwa eltagouri, Washington Post, "An 8-year-old’s rape and murder inflames tensions between Hindus and Muslims in India," 11 Apr. 2018
Seafaring nomads like Texas The green sea turtles in Texas waters aren't born here.

— shannon tompkins, Houston Chronicle, "Texas' green sea turtles exhibit remarkable resiliency," 13 Jan. 2018
Talib Hussain, a Bakarwal social activist working on behalf of Asifa’s family, told the New York Times that Bakarwal nomads for generations have leased land from Hindu farmers so their animals can graze during the winter.

— marwa eltagouri, Washington Post, "An 8-year-old’s rape and murder inflames tensions between Hindus and Muslims in India," 11 Apr. 2018
This drug-addled, free-spirited nomad can't come up with a name for her unplanned baby.

— amy shearn, Redbook, "The Best & Worst Mothers in Our Favorite Books," 2 Apr. 2013
Population migration is blamed partly. Invading hordes of nomads.

— stephan salisbury, Philly.com, "Penn Museum's Middle East Galleries reopen: Behold, the queen's beer straw," 19 Apr. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'nomad.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.